On-the-job Audition

VOLUSIA SPORTS

Interim coach Cameron Robinson leads Deltona through spring drills

May 15, 2005|By Shannon Shelton, Sentinel Staff Writer

DELTONA -- Rising sophomore free safety Sean Lewis might have made the play of Thursday's spring football practice at Deltona High School, shocking the Wolves' offense with his stealth pick of the quarterback's pass.

A throng of Wolves rushed to bring him down, finally succeeding when a figure with a gray T-shirt and gym shorts emerged from the pack of helmeted and padded players to take Lewis out.

That under-dressed figure won't be mixing it up on the field for the Wolves come fall but might instead be walking the sidelines with his clipboard and headphones, managing all facets of Deltona's effort. He's 29-year-old Cameron Robinson, the team's current interim coach and candidate to take over the head-coaching job left vacant last month with the resignation of Chris Isaac.

Robinson has led this year's spring practice and hopes his work will pay off when Deltona hires a permanent replacement later this month. His approach has defined "hands-on," from planning outings with his players to physically jumping in on plays himself.

Anything to build a sense of unity in a program that's struggled to find football success.

"I feel confident about my chances of getting the job," Robinson said. "I think I have the support of the players and of the parents here, but a lot depends on how we do in our spring game."

The school athletic department scheduled a meeting on May 13 to review resumes and extend invitations to about five candidates for interviews. Athletic Director Larry Andrews expects a decision within the week following Friday's spring classic against local rival Pine Ridge.

"Interviews will start on May 23 and the students finish school on May 25," Andrews said. "We want to have someone in place by the end of that week. We don't want to let this linger too long."

Andrews said Robinson would be among the interviewees because he is already a member of the Deltona staff. Any other interested staff member would also be guaranteed an interview, Andrews said, while noting that Robinson has been the only one to express interest in the position so far.

Robinson, a 1994 graduate of Fort Lauderdale Dillard, was an assistant at Tampa Middleton for three years before coming to Deltona last year to coach the freshman squad to a 4-2 record.

Robinson wants to make his case with his team's performance in the Friday game, but he's also hoping to make a general impact on the mindset of the players regarding Deltona High football. The school has not seen much success in the sport -- last year's squad was 1-7 in Isaac's only season as head coach and Deltona has had only one winning season in its history (1993) since opening in 1988.

In past years, players who started at Deltona have transferred to other schools, further decimating the team's talent pool.

A recent example is Johnny Patrick, a wide receiver who began the 2004-05 school year at Deltona, but transferred to DeLand for the spring, where he had an outstanding track season.

He'll be a senior star for the Bulldogs come fall.

Robinson said he doesn't begrudge students for switching schools or leaving football altogether, but he hopes to implement measures that will keep them at Deltona.

The most innovative idea was a scrimmage/sleepover on Friday the 13th, an initiative that included parents and faculty as well as the players.

Players were scheduled to gather at the end of the school day to watch the movie Friday Night Lights before heading to the field for an intra-squad scrimmage. After the scrimmage, players would be released to shower and change while the coaching staff talked to parents to discuss the direction of the Deltona football program.

After the meeting, expected to wrap up between 8-9 p.m., the coaching staff planned to break down the scrimmage tape with the players during a pizza dinner courtesy of the school.

Players would be then free from obligations until 3 a.m., using those hours to talk, play games or just sleep. At 3, however, they'd report to the field for a light workout and a practice under the moonlight. Meetings with position coaches would follow, and then all would head back to the building to shower, change clothes and rest until 8:45 a.m. Saturday morning. That's when they'd board a bus to a local clinic for free physicals.